Small Pleasures
by Girl in a White Dress
Summary: This is my very first XF fic! It's just another Monday morning at the office with our 2 favorite agents. Please r&r.


Disclaimer: They don't belong to me *grr* but to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions etc.....No money is being made from this & no infringement is intended.

Small Pleasures

By Melanie-Anne

I knew it was going to be a long day when I opened the officed door to find Mulder already seated at his desk, a folder lying open in front of him.

"No," I said automatically.

"Aww, come on, Sculleee, you haven't even heard what I have to say yet."

I sigh. He's doing that thing with his voice again. You know, the thing that makes my spine tingle. How the hell am I supposed to resist him when he does that?

"What is it today, Mulder? Crop circles? Killer bees?"

He grins and I just know I'm going to end up doing exactly what he wants. Again. We always do what Mulder wants. Just for once I'd like us to do what I want. Except that what I want would probably get both of us thrown out of the Bureau.

Oh, Mulder's saying something.

"What was that?" I ask.

He's too caught up in the moment to notice that I'm not paying attention and happily repeats himself.

"It's the biggest X-File ever, Scully."

I have to admit that his enthusiasm is catching.

"What, Mulder?" I prompt. It has to be something pretty huge to have earned the status of 'biggest X-File ever.'

He beckons me to go closer. When I get to the edge of the desk he stands and leans forward to whisper conspiratorially, "One of the biggest mysteries never solved. Is Michael Jackson human or alien?"

Judging from Mulder's expression I must be pulling what he refers to as 'that face.' He burst out laughing.

"I had you, Scully!"

"Nuh-uh!" I protest. "I knew it was too early on a Monday morning for you to have found an actual X-File."

"Oh, but I was just warming up," he says as I take a seat opposite him.

Oh boy. What now? Where does he get his energy from?

"The bigger question we have to answer is what Agent Scully did for the long weekend."

I roll my eyes. "Mulder, can't you just ask like a normal person?"

"Nope." He pulls a packet of sunflower seeds from one of his drawers and starts munching on them. "Want some?" he offers.

I shake my head.

"You still haven't answered my question, Scully."

"Because you didn't ask a question."

"Sculleee."

Uh oh. It's the thing with the voice again.

"Bill and Tara came up to visit Mom so I went home for the weekend."

Mulder grimaces. I know there's no love lost between him and my brother. Bill blames Mulder for everything that's gone wrong in my life: losing Missy, losing Emily, my cancer, being abducted, almost being killed more times than I'd care to count....

Okay, maybe Bill has a point. But Mulder's not the only one who's to blame. It's my choice to be here. I could always ask to be reassigned, I could always leave. But I love my job. I love the X-Files. I love-

Uh oh.

You're not supposed to go down that road, Dana. It'll only make trouble.

"So, how is your mother," Mulder asks eventually.

Ah, a safe topic for Mulder. He's got such a soft spot for my mother. It's odd, really, because he doesn't get on with his mother at all. I suppose I should be glad; if by some miracle something ever happens between us, my mother will approve. Still, I can't help feeling a bit miffed that he lets my mother call him Fox but we call each other by our surnames. Just once, I'd like to hear him call me Dana when I'm not ill or dying or unconscious.

Ha! Wishful thinking.

Besides, he says Scully in a way unlike anybody else does. It almost makes up for not calling me Dana.

Almost.

I can't help wishing for the day I'm allowed to call him Fox.

"She's fine," I say. Then, feeling mischievous, "She says, 'hi, Fox'."

"I like your mom," Mulder says.

What brought that on?

"Well, she likes you too."

"Good," he says.

I frown. Mulder is acting so...so un-Mulderish. "Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, fine. So, uh, no hot dates this weekend?" he asks nonchalantly.

Is he jealous? Ooh, I hope so.

Dana! Stop!

"Since when do you care whether I have a hot date or not?"

There's a serious look in his eyes when he replies. "I've always cared."

He has, I know he has. It's one of the things I've never doubted about him. Well, except for maybe that first day.

There's nobody down here but the FBI's most unwanted.

I sigh involuntarily as I remember those first few days.

"Scully? Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" I snap back to reality. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. How was your weekend, Mulder?"

"Oh, I had a hot date."

"What?!"

Oops, didn't mean to say that out loud. He's starting to look amused but I recover quickly.

"The Lone Gunmen can hardly be called a 'hot date' unless, of course, there's something you'd like to share with me."

He pretends to look hurt and holds a hand over his heart. "Sculleee...."

Argh! Stop that, please.

"So how'd you know I was with the Gunmen?"

I shrug. He doesn't have to know I was just kidding.

"So...did you miss me?" he asks.

"Don't you have work to do?" This conversation is heading in a direction I don't particularly want it to go.

"Not real work, anyway. So, did you?"

"Of course, Mulder." I hide the truth of the words behind my sarcasm.

"I missed you," he says, serious again.

Uh....

"Da-" He's cut off by the shrill ringing of the telephone.

Was he about to call me Dana?

"Yes, sir...of course, sir...we'll be right there, sir." He hangs up and looks at me forlornly. "Skinner."

"Oh. I guess we shouldn't keep him waiting."

We stand up and walk towards the elevator. His hand is resting on the small of my back, in his position. In about five minutes Skinner is going to send us halfway across the country but I could care less. This is my favorite part of the day; when it's just me and Mulder alone in the lift with his hand on my back.

I've waited this long for him to call me Dana, I guess another day won't hurt. 

And in the end, it's the small pleasures in life that count, right?

~*~

Please send feedback (pretty please, you'll light up my life) melani_anne@yahoo.com 


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